Jericho is shut up, 1. God instructs Joshua how to besiege it, 2-11. The city is compassed, 12-16. It must be accursed, 17-19. The walls fall down, 20, 21. Rahab is saved, 22-25. The builder of Jericho is cursed, 26, 27.
1 Now Jericho was closely shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given into your hand Jericho, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 And you shall compass the city—all the men of war—and go around the city once. Thus you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns. And the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall each ascend straight before him."
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD." 7 And he said to the people, "Pass on, and compass the city, and let him who is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD." 8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD and blew with the trumpets. And the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the rear-guard came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed from your mouth until the day I bid you to shout. Then you shall shout." 11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going around it once. And they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, but the rear-guard came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets. 14 And on the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp. They did so for six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times. Only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city. 17 And the city shall be accursed, even it and all who are in it, to the LORD. Only Rahab the harlot shall live—she and all who are with her in the house—because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And you, in any way keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, gold, and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated to the LORD. They shall come into the treasury of the LORD." 20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 But Joshua had said to the two men who spied out the country, "Go into the harlot's house and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her." 23 And the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. And they brought out all her kindred and left them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burnt the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25 But Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. And she dwells in Israel even to this day because she hid the messengers which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, "Cursed is the man before the LORD, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. He shall lay its foundation in his first-born, and in his youngest son he shall set up its gates." 27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the country.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Joshua, Chapter 6[➚]
[v.17] - Refer to Joshua 2:1-21 for the telling of Rahab hiding the messengers. See also, Hebrews 11:31 for this act being used as an example of faith.